Posts Tagged ‘vegetarian’

Veggie Happy created Veggie Happy Day as a way to honor and celebrate the power of customer feedback. It’s been our experience that fan feedback at the ballparks played a key role in helping us open the door to vegan options there. Just think if everyone took the time to chime in at the food establishments they frequent (or don’t frequent for that matter, because of the lack of options), what a wave of positive change that could create!

We selected January 10 as Veggie Happy Day (formerly Soy Happy Day) for two reasons:

Major League Baseball stadiums are about to begin the process of reviewing their menus for the coming season, and now is the optimal time for fans to begin chiming in with their suggestions and feedback on vegan food items they want them to either keep, change or add. They’ll be looking at all fan comments and suggestions as part of their considerations starting now through spring training. (Four MLB stadiums remain without a veggie dog/vegan frankfurter on the regular concessions menu as of last season: the Baltimore Orioles, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals.)

It’s a fabulous way to start the new year with a feeling of hope, pride and accomplishment, no matter what food establishments you decide to contact. You might be surprised at the difference your one comment can make!

When you offer your feedback, consider a couple of other things, too. It’s not enough for vegan items to be available; they have to be clearly and easily evident on the menu, and all staff should be aware of their availability and locations. After all, if customers don’t know these options are available, they won’t sell the way they could or should, and are sometimes destined to fail as a result. Veggie Happy has had the unfortunate experience of receiving emails from frustrated fans who know vegan options are supposed to be available at a given stadium (having checked our Venue Vegetarian Guide), but still have a hard time tracking them down. How is that situation going to stimulate any sales?

Recent headlines about McDonalds eschewing veggie burgers because “no one buys them” is another example. They state that they tested veggie burgers in certain markets and didn’t generate adequate sales. First, this was back in 2003, so there’s some catching-up to do, but also, how big a promotion did they create to ensure that customers realized they were available?

Burger King has been offering veggie burgers since 2002 and guess what? Any group of people with a vegetarian in its midst has likely chosen Burger King over McDonalds every time. The Vegetarian Resource Group calls this “the vegetarian veto vote,” and it’s a powerful vote indeed. One person will divert an entire group of diners to another location that offers a viable option for that individual, causing the other establishment to lose out on “mainstream” customers as well. (It merits noting, by the way, that the BK Veggie Burger is not vegan. It’s a sponsored product, meaning that the brand pays big bucks for the privilege of being named. When sponsorship is involved, it can take a while to change, so all the more reason for them to receive and compile customer requests for a vegan brand instead.)

Chipotle offers a totally different example in its approach to offering vegan options. It has done a fabulous job of actively and widely promoting its new Sofritas menu and ensuring that signage is clear and well positioned so customers recognize it exists. It’s no surprise that their vegan Sofritas are doing well.

The same is true for the ballparks. Seattle’s Safeco Field saw sales of Field Roast vegan frankfurters spike 700% over its previous generic veggie dogs during one season, in part because it promoted the new menu item (including custom vegan topping options) and made sure fans were aware it existed. This should be an example to all ballparks.

Whether you contact a ballpark or another foodservice establishment for Veggie Happy Day, consider these basic questions: Do they offer what you want? If they do, is it easy for all customers to know it’s available? Chime in and let your voice be heard. Sometimes just one fan’s suggestion has made the difference in as large a venue as an MLB or NFL stadium.

Thanksgiving dinner can be a very socially difficult experience for vegetarians and vegans. It’s hard to reconcile what we know about the way most turkeys are raised and treated with the fact that we’re gathering around a table, a large turkey at its center, for the purpose of giving thanks with family and friends. Cruelty is hard to reconcile as the default partner to a holiday focused on gratitude.

Some vegans will opt out of joining traditional gatherings, choosing to host or attend a cruelty-free one instead. Dining with kindred vegans is understandable and certainly far more pleasant and easier on the conscience. It can also be the best gratitude splurge in the world. Still, it doesn’t change anything for the majority of people who eat the traditional way. That turkey will still be served; vegan family members or friends just won’t be there to see it happening.

For some vegans, going it solo or avoiding a traditional gathering is not as clear an option. Some may want to be with family or friends on this special day and not want to become isolated by it. Instead of bowing out of these traditional gatherings, they might opt to attend them, bringing “special” plant-based options for themselves and others to enjoy. Or they might feast on many of the side dishes together, since that is often plenty of food.

If you’re that vegan person sitting at a traditional feast, don’t forget that you’re an example to those around you. That may not be something you’re concerned with, but it matters. People take notice. You’ll find that kids at the table will tend to be less inhibited about asking you questions or making comments, too. If they do, well, there you’ll be with a window, however small and delicate, to explain in brief and friendly terms why it is you choose not to eat turkey. If they make faces and mock the plant-based meat that’s on your plate, that’s usually because they’re not familiar with these types of foods or your way of life. It’s not their fault. Smile, make them feel understood and offer them a taste. It’s a great opportunity to open their conscience to another way of thinking, another way of eating, and another way of life. They might, just might, not only find your food to be a doable option, but also a very viable one.

A thought, anyway.

For your plant-based center-of-the-meal dish, there are a variety of ways you can go. From store-bought and ready-to-go-after-heating options like Field Roast’s Celebration Roast (or their other roasts), to items from Gardein or Turtle Island Foods, to make-it-yourself dishes made with tempeh, seitan, mushrooms or tofu, there are lots of options to suit your palate. If you want recipes, check 41 delicious vegan Thanksgiving recipes here. You can also search “plant-based Thanksgiving recipes” on Google and scroll and peruse away. What’s great is that plant-based options are becoming popular not just with vegans, but with everyone in general, no matter how they choose to identify their dietary preferences.

Wherever you land on Thanksgiving, here’s wishing you a happy and gratitude-filled “Turkey-Free Day.”

We’re proud to have helped make more tasty MLB menu updates possible this season! Here’s a brief summary. (Note that updates are still happening and we’ll have more news and menu additions to share during the next several months, so be sure to check our MLB Venue Vegetarian Guideregularly.)

Many teams/ballparks are following the lead of other parks in offering Field Roast vegan frankfurters (and in many cases, also their handmade vegan burgers, which aren’t yet sold in retail outlets). Parks already offering Field Roast include the San Francisco Giants (A&T Park), Cleveland Indians (Progressive Field) and Seattle Mariners (Safeco Field, which also has a dedicated cart and offers specialty franks). New parks switching over or introducing Field Roast franks this year include the Arizona Diamondbacks (Chase Field has their Italian sausages), Oakland A’s (O.Co Coliseum), Washington Nationals (Nationals Park), Minnesota Twins (Target Field), and San Diego Padres (Petco Park)… with more likely to follow.

The Field Roast booth at Safeco Field, section 131

The Washington Nationals’ Nationals Park has a dedicated vegetarian/vegan food cart called “Field of Greens” that offers items including vegan crab cakes, portobello mushroom sandwiches, vegetarian cheese steak, veggie wraps, veggie burgers and more. They are hoping to add vegan frankfurters to the menu there soon, as well.

Nationals Park “Field of Greens” menu board

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ Chase Field has added Field Roast’s vegan Italian sausage to their menu this year, which is very exciting! (We highly encourage this sausage because meat eaters also express a real liking for it.) The board has the item listed now as a “veggie dog.” It’s offered with marinara sauce and vegan mozzarella cheese in the in-seat service. If you get it in general concessions, however, it’s not vegan mozzarella, so if you want it vegan, ask for it without the cheese.

Let’s not forget all the MLB stadiums that have been selling veggie dogs or frankfurters for a while now, and will continue offering them to their fans. All the MLB teams/stadiums that offer veggie dogs or franks are marked with our veggie happy icon at the top of the menu listings.

There are only four MLB stadiums left that do not offer fans a vegetarian hot dog: the Baltimore Orioles, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, and quite surprisingly, the New York Yankees. We have helped to facilitate sample tastings for all these stadiums and continue to encourage them. We know it’s just a matter of time, of course. 😉

Fan feedback is really important, whether it’s expressing appreciation for vegetarian/vegan options already on the menu, or requests for an item not yet available to fans, concessionaires and stadium reps take these comments into account when they consider what to keep or what to offer, so take a few minutes to chime in with your own feedback. We make it easy for you by providing contact information with each listing on our guide.

We welcome pix of fans noshing on their fave fare at the ballparks. And please, let us know if you discover anything that we haven’t yet posted about the menus. Sometimes, we’re notified after the fact, so it’s good to have fans in the stands, looking out for us too.

It’s almost Thanksgiving and everyone’s talking turkey again. We thought we’d chime in and talk about turkeys, too. After all, it is their day, right?

Have you read or seen the recent news about Butterball announcing a shortage of their big turkeys this year? People are wondering why, but Butterball isn’t telling them. Here’s a possible reason: the turkeys either got very sick or they died. A little background as to why:

”Two decades ago the goal of every grower was to ensure that the flock grew as rapidly as possible. However, the industry has developed a broiler that, if grown as rapidly as possible, will achieve a body mass that cannot be supported by the bird’s heart, respiratory system or skeleton. The situation has forced growers to make a choice. Is it more profitable to grow the biggest bird possible and have increased mortality due to heart attacks, ascites, and leg problems…?A large portion of growers’ pay is based on the pound of saleable meat produced, so simple calculations suggest that it is better to get the weight and ignore the mortality.” – a prominent poultry researcher as quoted by the Humane Society of the United States

Knowledge is power. Thus, an informed consumer is a powerful one. Read more information on the turkey industry from Farm Sanctuary.

This guest blog is part of our “Perspectives on the Food Business”series. This comes from Matthew Krauss, Assistant General Manager and Operations Director for Sportservice at CenturyLink Field (home of the Seattle Seahawks and Sounders FC). Krauss was formerly Operations Manager for Sportservice at U.S. Cellular Field (Chicago White Sox), the first MLB stadium to heed Veggie Happy’s request for veggie dogs in concession stands. This season, Veggie Happy helped to facilitate vegan frankfurters and burgers at CenturyLink Field from Seattle’s own Field Roast Grain Meat Company. (See CenturyLink Field’s full veg menu listing in our Venue Guide.)

The sports hospitality landscape has changed drastically in the last 20 years. Consumer demands of dietary needs and healthy menu items have grown with everything else in the sports hospitality industry. With bigger business and higher price tickets comes a heightened expectation by the fans. Our goal is to always meet and hopefully exceed their expectations. Original menu creation and diverse food options give the venue character and excitement. It’s not just hot dogs, peanuts, chocolate malt cups, and stale beer in wax cups (see Tiger’s menu from the early 70’s below). I witnessed the movement the first 10 years as a paying consumer (suites, new stadiums, in-seat service). The last 10 years I have been fortunate enough to actually get paid to influence the movement and manage the growth within the industry.

Tigers Menu from 1970s

As a leader in the industry my philosophy has been to bring what’s best of the city to the venues. The soul of a city is through its food and that food can create character and warmth that the steel and concrete do not. I have also learned diversifying menu options is a must in this competitive industry to match the diversified tastes and wants of our fans.

Vegetarian and Gluten Free options have been a big push over the last 5 years. The key to these menu items are to provide and serve them in a quality way. Gummy bears (gluten free) and nachos (vegetarian) were the norm not too long ago in regards to special dietary needs menus in stadiums. With help from fans and vendors availability and quality of these options have grown exponentially.

As an operator there are quite a few challenges when planning dietary menus in concessions at stadiums. Most people don’t realize the preparation, logistics, and the planning that goes into servicing tens of thousands of people in a time span of a couple hours. Maximizing service and keeping food quality consistent are the focus once doors open up. This can only be done if menus are planned out properly and organized in locations that can properly serve these items.

This past summer while taking over operations of CenturyLink Field in Seattle fans were vocal about our decision to remove “veggie burgers” from the club level. The reasoning behind the decision wasn’t because of financial numbers, but because of standards to keep these items to the quality the fans deserve. Not only is it beneficial for an operator to keep special items (like vegan and gluten free) in specific areas for pure logistic reasons but it also insures quality and consistency of these items as they need to be prepared properly. I ended up changing the veggie burger to a vegan burger and to assure proper preparation this item needed to be prepared and cooked at separate grills to prevent cross-contamination.

A good operator will not only find a diverse creative menu and incorporate vegetarian options around the venue but will also look for opportunity to create a couple specific menu concepts spots in strategic locations that strictly focus on those specialty items (whether it be dietary, healthy, or any concept options). It is also vital for the fan base to know where all options and items are in a venue. MLB “At The Ballpark” app, Seattle Seahawks app, veggiehappy.com, and many other sources have been a great help to improve guest experiences at venues.

We aren’t saving lives (with healthier food options I like to think we are helping). Our job is to make our fans (guests) have memorable moments on and off the field of entertainment.

Any reprint of this article must be requested and approved from Veggie Happy. Please contact us at info@veggiehappy.com

We’re proud to have helped open the door to vegan frankfurters and specialty vegan burgers at the Seattle Seahawks’ CenturyLink Field this season.They will be sold from a veggie cart on the east side of the main concourse (exact location still TBD as of this posting, check their listing in our NFL Vegetarian Guide for any updates.) San Francisco 49ers‘ Candlestick Park also confirmed vegan franks and specialty burgers on their menu this year.

“Johanna was been a great resource for the sports hospitality industry and for myself in regards to menu consulting. She has promoted and measured stadium menus all around the country while connecting vendors with service providers. Her services are very valuable for not only to the guests who are looking up the menus but for the operators as well.” – Matthew Krauss, Assistant General Manager and Operations Director, Delaware North Sportservice at CenturyLink Field

When a venue does well with a new item, it creates understandable interest from concession management staff at other large sporting venues. CenturyLink Field joins its neighbor Safeco Field (home to MLB’s Seattle Mariners) in offering Field Roast franks and specialty burgers to their fans. Safeco Field saw a dramatic rise in category sales after switching to Field Roast products several years ago and other venues quickly took heed. With our help, San Francisco Giants‘ AT&T Park and Cleveland Indians‘ Progressive Field also added these items and noted better sales after making the switch. San Francisco 49ers’ Candlestick Park followed their lead by offering these items soon thereafter.

“Johanna has done a tremendous job of helping to implement vegetarian menu selections into sporting venues. She is very enthusiastic and will assist you doing research and product selection when necessary. She has encouraged, and assisted me in adding healthy menu items at my venue which we have continued to increase every season.” – Sandie Filipiak, Director of Concessions at Centerplate, AT&T Park

Interest in plant-based options goes well beyond the vegetarian or vegan population. Just this week Mintel, a reputable and award winning market research company, posted a study titled: “More than one-third of Americans consume meat alternatives, but only a fraction are actually vegetarians.” Veggie Happy always emphasizes the importance of choosing vegan foods that appeal to flexitarian eaters for this very reason. We only encourage foods and brands that are popular across a wide spectrum of consumers. (Translation? Sales!)

“This data suggests that participation in the alternative meat category stretches far beyond necessity, and creates an opportunity for future growth based on the products’ ability to meet general consumer food interests, such as health, price, variety and convenience,” says Beth Bloom, food and drink analyst at Mintel. “The bottom line is that vegetarians and vegans aren’t the only people eating “fake” meat, meat eaters are also exploring this new found protein superpower.”

Concessions at Safeco Field, AT&T Park and Candlestick Park are managed by Centerplate. CenturyLink Field’s new concession management company this year is Delaware North Sportservice, which runs the concessions at Progressive Field as well.

Fan/customer feedback is an important part of the recipe for change at any and all venues.Be sure to check our Venue Vegetarian Guide for all MLB and NFL listings and to contact your favorite and local venues to provide menu suggestions and/or to offer your thanks!

Two recently released food trend reports highlight the growing demand for plant-based options. The first of these reports was presented by a trendologist with a company called CCD Innovation at the Fancy Food Show in New York. The title of the presentation was “From Cafeteria to Market: How Campus Millennials Shape Culinary Trends of Tomorrow.” Here’s an excerpt from an article about this report in Supermarket News:

Many respondents are dining along the meatless spectrum and practicing vegetarian, vegan, raw and flexitarian diets, some for the first time.
“I have been introduced to a lot more vegetables and meatless dishes because my roommate is vegetarian and wants me to try her foods,” said one respondent.
Campus dining halls, with their innovative and contemporary menus, are also exposing students to a range of food.

This brings to mind the “vegetarian veto vote,” whereby one vegetarian or vegan in a group with six to eight non-vegetarians will influence that group to go to an establishment where vegetarians can be accommodated. With a growing number or consumers preferring vegetarian options, restaurants and other foodservice providers will do well to heed their demand.

The second is the “2013 Burger Consumer Trend Report” from Technomic, the leading fact-based consulting and research firm serving the food industry. Here are some interesting mentions in this report:

95% of consumers said they eat burgers (including nonbeef and nonmeat versions) at least once a month

high-quality vegetable toppings now suggest a “premium” burger for more than half (52%) of consumers, up from 46% in 2011

23% of consumers said that it’s important that burger serving restaurants offer vegan burgers.

Technomic’s blog about their report ends on this note: “Knowing how consumers’ priorities are shifting and how these shifts may affect their view of a particular brand is absolutely worthwhile.”

These two trend reports are among many others that reflect what Veggie Happy has been conveying to concession managers all over the country: consumer demand for plant-based options is not only real, it is growing.

It’s important to note that many consumers who choose plant based options happen to be flexitarians who also eat meat or dairy. Thus, our advice to foodservice directors: offer foods that have proven popularity with flexitarian consumers. Know what sells and why. (We advise on that and can facilitate samples for tastings.) When they do this, customers and sales alike will be healthier and happier for it!

Special thanks to Joe Jordan at Katahdin Ventures for informing us of these two studies.

Our recent release:

Veggie Options Score Runs at Major League Baseball Stadiums

Concessions and Fans Both Win

Berkeley, CA.-April 23, 2013 – On opening day of Major League Baseball (MLB), 26 of the 30 stadiums had a vegetarian hot dog on their menus. At Safeco Field in Seattle, walking concession vendors will be selling vegetarian franks to fans throughout the stands and a designated cart will be serving customized vegan chili cheese dogs in addition to veggie burgers.

MLB parks have a come a long way since 2000, when vegetarian hot dogs were nonexistent on their menus and vegetarian options were generally limited to peanuts or pretzels. Enter Veggie Happy, an advocacy group that spoke up for fans who were bringing their own vegetarian food or choosing to eat before or after the games due to the limited options. Veggie Happy started with one fan, actress Johanna McCloy, who decided to take action by contacting all MLB concession managers and “making the pitch” for veggie dogs and other vegetarian fare. She cited statistics about the rise in demand for vegetarian options and empowered other fans to chime in. Concessionaires took heed and slowly began to introduce veggie dogs with her assistance. Veggie Happy also created a free “Venue Vegetarian Guide” on their web site (www.VeggieHappy.com) listing the vegetarian options at all MLB stadiums along with other professional sports venues.

At first, veggie dogs remained unmentioned in ballpark menu listings and were limited to one stand, sometimes located at the far end of a stadium. Most fans didn’t know they were even offered, so Veggie Happy hosted game outings and outreached locally to ensure awareness. McCloy even fielded comments on a Denver sports radio interview that veggie dogs in baseball were “un-American.” By 2013, it’s become a new ball game. Baseball fans will find such vegan options as frankfurters, sausages, burgers, Sloppy Janes, Philly cheese steaks, chicken fajitas, bean burritos, gluten free snack chips and more.

Ballparks are adding vegetarian all stars to their menus and generating runs for concessions and fans alike.

McCloy believes that adding tasty vegan options with proven appeal to mainstream consumers is the key to success, so she only pitches items with a big yummy factor.To that end, stadiums have been switching from generic veggie dogs to vegan frankfurters that appeal to “flexitarian” tastes. Safeco Field saw a 700% increase in sales from 2011-2012 after making the switch to Field Roast brand frankfurters. San Francisco Giants’ AT&T Park and Cleveland Indians’ Progressive Field also saw their sales rise. Peggy Kalberer, Assistant Concessions Manager for the Cleveland Indians’ Progressive Field said, “With more and more people looking for healthier options, Veggie Happy makes it easy for fans to plan their visit to the ballpark (by offering the on-line guide). Our fans do not have to eat at home before coming to see a great game.”

David Lee, Field Roast president and founder said, “All baseball fans, whether we’re carnivores or vegans, Giants, Red Socks or Mariners fans, want to eat good All-American food at the ballpark, and that means frankfurters. We are proud to offer ballparks a real vegan frankfurter that is juicy, bold and traditionally seasoned to satisfy fans cravings.”

For more information about Veggie Happy and issues regarding vegetarian options in MLB (and other sports leagues), please visit: www.veggiehappy.com.

In 2000, Johanna attended her first Major League Baseball game and found no viable vegetarian menu options in the entire stadium. She realized that many fans were either bringing their own food or eating before or after the game, so she decided to speak up. She compiled statistics on the rise in demand for vegetarian options and presented her menu suggestions to the concession manager. In particular, she suggested the addition of a vegetarian hot dog.

She contacted every MLB park and offered her assistance as a liaison with popular manufacturers. She also reached out to baseball fans, consumer groups and supportive organizations, encouraging them to chime in. The Veggie Happy website (then called Soy Happy) was created as a resource, complete with an online Venue Vegetarian Guide listing every stadium’s menu and contact information.

Fans started to speak up, celebrities offered endorsements, media paid attention, and concession managers responded. When Veggie Happy started, none of the MLB parks offered veggie dogs. By opening day 2013, 26 of 30 MLB parks offered veggie dogs or frankfurters on their menus, many of them with our assistance. In 2003, Veggie Happy also acted as media and outreach coordinator for the Healthy School Lunch Resolution in California.

Recent foodservice forecasts and other reports, along with the personal feedback we’re getting from foodservice directors, all highlight the rise in demand for vegetarian/vegan options in mainstream eateries. Many people also want these options because they translate to choosing a healthier meal (with no cholesterol and far less fat, for starters.) We are posting references to some of these items on our Facebook page. Here’s a compilations of some recent posts:

“More than seven out of 10 consumers say they are trying to eat healthier at restaurants now than they did two years ago; women more so than men (75 percent vs. 66 percent). Similarly, about three-quarters of consumers say healthy menu options are an important factor when choosing a restaurant (80 percent of women vs. 71 percent of men).” From the National Restaurant Association’s 2013 Industry Forecast, released 12/11/12

“Our research suggested that our fans were seeking more vegetarian options. They have been some of our best sellers.” James Nolan, Gillette Stadium’s senior vice president of operations, administration, and finance (quoted in the Boston Globe.)

We helped to facilitate Field Roast Grain Meat products at the 49ers’ Candlestick Park this year. We’ve been told that they are doing better than any other brand offered there in the past and that their specialty burgers are a particular favorite, even among meat eaters.

#4 of the 2013 Top Ten Food Trends: “Veggies take over the plate: No longer prepared as just a side or salad, vegetables will get their chance to star as the main dish.” (Per the Sterling-Rice Group, a brand strategy firm)